Devil's Little Cupid
by Pumpkinchu
Summary: "I'm disappointed Natsu," she said quietly, her gaze freezing him in place. Disappointment and anger flared in her eyes and it made him flinch. "I thought I knew you better, I guess not." She took a deep breath, as if it would hurt her to spill out the next words. "You don't deserve her Natsu." [Rated T for minor swearing...and just to be safe]
1. Chapter 1

_**Kon'nichiwa minna-san! My name is Glitter-Kun and I am new here on . I mean...I'm not NEW,NEW here, I'm just a new writer here. Hehe. I've written a bunch for Wattpad before so I'm pretty sure that I will rock this! Just to be honest, between you and me, I don't think anyone's reading this. Which I totally understand. Author's notes are so boring! Even mine! Well, on that note, why don't we wrap this up?**_

_**I love NaLu and Fairy Tail and I hate, hate, **__**hate**__** NaLi. That is the ucky-est ship ever. I like Lisanna though. She's a nice character. Well, that's all I have to say! Bai!**_

_**~Glitter-Kun**_

"Natsu! Let's go shopping today!" A cheerful voice rang out from behind the fire mage. He pivoted so that he could face her and then flashed a toothy grin at her, his onyx eyes lighting up. "Hey Lisanna!" He greeted, just as cheerfully. "Wanna go shopping?" She asked shyly, bouncing on her balls of her shoes. She seemed almost nervous. At her request, the fire mage groaned. Shopping. It was one of the worst things that anybody could say to him, unless, of course, it was food shopping. Then he wouldn't mind very much. But, shopping with girls was a whole different story. They drag you around all day to see something they like, drag you into the store, and then spend hours upon hours to try on the actual outfit or shoes, and then drag you out of the store because they can't afford the items. She must have sensed his reluctance because she automatically said in a sing-song voice, "I'll treat you to lunch. What about that restaurant that just opened downtown?" At that offer, he was hooked. Natsu Dragneel wasn't one to turn down free food. Ever.

"Alright," he said, standing up. Then, a look came over his face and he frowned. "Hey Lis, I promised Lucy that I would take her out on a mission today, you know, to help her pay her rent. Maybe another day?" He looked to her for her answer and she pouted. jutting out her bottom lip and enlarging her ocean blue eyes. "But you haven't hung out with me ever since I came back," she whined. "That's not true," he said, defending himself. "Remember that time I took you and Happy fishing with me?" Lisanna huffed and then crossed her arms over her chest. "That was _years _ago Natsu. Before I went to Edolas!" His mouth formed an 'o' as he remembered it was indeed before she got slapped to Edolas. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah. But I promised her! And as a proud Fairy Tail wizard and Natsu Dragneel, I do not go back on my promises," he declared proudly, puffing out his chest.

"We haven't seen each other in years Natsu! Years! Don't you miss me?" She questioned, exasperated. Natsu still looked hesitant. "Yeah, I missed you but I promised Lucy that I'd go with her..." He trailed off. "Natsu! You can't always be there for her and she has to know that! Besides, you can always make it up to her. It's just one mission. It's not like the world will end," she said, smiling at him the whole time.

Natsu looked as if he was about to protest again so she quickly cut him off.

"She'll be fine on her own Natsu."

"But-!"

"No buts! She'll be fine. She _is _a Fairy Tail wizard after all. And she does have her keys and her whip. She is going to be fine on her own!"

Natsu seemed to ponder this information over before slowly smiling.

"Yeah that's right! She's a Fairy Tail wizard! I'll just make it up to her some other day! She'll understand! Ok Lisanna. Let's go!" Natsu cheered happily.

Lisanna's face lit up brightly and she giggled as she allowed the enthusiastic fire user half drag, half run out of the guild.

The young blonde sat at her normal stool, her eyes flickering towards the large, mahogany double doors of the guild and back to her strawberry milkshake, which she was absentmindedly stirring with a metal spoon. All around her, laughter and bickering could be heard. Her fellow guildmates were talking among themselves, large smiles on their faces. Normally, this would bring a smile to her own face but today she was in a sour mood.

When she woke up this morning, she found that the heat was broken, so she caught a cold while she was sleeping. Then, she tripped while heading to the bathroom, which made her hit her head on the floor when she fell. She has a large bruise at the top of her head, which she expertly hid with her bangs. To make things worse, she had forgotten to replace the "April's Fool Colored Shampoo" that Natsu obviously thought was funny, so now she was sporting a weird blue and red colored head. On top of all that, she found an eviction note taped on her door saying that if she pay her rent by tomorrow, she would say goodbye to her cozy little apartment.

It was a bad morning.

Now, sitting at her normal stool, she was waiting for her pink haired best friend so they could go on a mission together, as a way of making it up to her for dying her hair a weird shade of blue and red. Lucy growled dangerously when she eyed the clock above the doors. It has well been over an hour already and she was sure that they had just missed their train. Where in Earthland was that dumbass? He was late! Late! She knew that he knew how much important this mission was to her! If she gets kicked out of her apartment, where will she go? Nowhere!

Unknown to her, her hand was tightening around the poor glass cup, her knuckles white under the pressure.

"Lucy? Are you OK?" The bartender's concerned voice reached her ears and Lucy sighed. She rotated her body so that she could face the white haired maiden and shot her a reassuring smile. "Yeah I'm fine." Mira's eyebrow rose in disbelief. "Lucy, the cup." She looked down and automatically pushed the cup away from her death grip. She opened and closed her hand a few times to get rid of the sore feeling that was settling in her knuckles. She sighed again. "Mira," she whined, putting her head on the bar counter. "Where is Natsu?" Mira cocked her head to the side. "Natsu? Didn't he tell you?"

Lucy looked up. "Tell me what?"

"Tell you that he was going out with Lisanna today. She dragged him to go shopping with her." Mira informed her, a devious smile on her face. But Lucy was too shocked to even notice it.

She caught the words, '_Going out', 'Lisanna,' ,'Today.' 'SHOPPING'_

"NANI?!" Lucy screeched loudly, drawing attention from a few members around her. Her fist slammed down on the table, startling Mira and the few that were paying attention to their conversation. "He went with Lisanna to go _shopping?" _She echoed. Mira nodded and continued to wipe the mug in her hand. "They left earlier this morning. Alone." Lucy zoned out after she heard that they left this morning. To go shopping! Never would Lucy have thought that Natsu would chose _shopping _over a mission. Heck, she can't even convince him to go with her!

But she was more angry. That stupid, frilly haired, fire user knew that she needed this job to stay in her apartment! If she was kicked out, he was so going to get it.

Her eyes narrowed.

Natsu Dragneel was going to be in a whole lot of pain when he returns.

**_Yosh! Done with the first chapter! What do you guys think?_**

**_~Glitter-Kun_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hai hai! It's moi again! w Let's get to it shall we?**_

_**~Glitter-Kun**_

_**.**_

The raven haired man scowled to himself as he shrunk further into his seat among the members of the guild. Every few seconds his eyes would dart around the guild and then return to the conversation in front of him. He could feel the cold sweat running down his neck and he swallowed. His fingers twitched and his breathing was ragged, it would have been the same if he was out right panting. His eyes traveled upwards to the clock and then back down. He sighed.

"Yo, Gray, are you OK man? You look like you've seen a ghost," one of the men said.

Gray tiredly waved it off and straightened in his seat, forcing himself to not have the habit of turning around. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just tired." And as if to prove his point, he faked a yawn and then stretched, all the while the sweat ran down his bare back. Looks like he lost his shirt. "Ha, you could say that again. Did I tell any of you that..." Gray zoned out afterwards. He wasn't _trying _to be rude. He was actually, mildly interested in what the guy had to say but him sitting at the table wasn't so that he could gossip and talk with his fellow guild members. Him sitting at this table was so that he could avoid a certain someone by hoping to blend in with everyone else. And that someone was Juvia. His own personal stalker.

She was crazy. There. Gray said it. She was crazy. Juvia took the word "stalker" on a whole other level. She had body pillows of him, she had life sized dolls of him, she had towels and blankets with his face engraved on it. It was scary. Not only that but she also followed him everywhere he went. One time, she followed him to the men's public bath and deemed everybody there her "love rival." Speaking of love rivals, that girl seems to think that _everyone _is her love rival. If he talked to Mira, she would pop out of nowhere and scream "LOVE RIVAL!" before latching onto his arm. That made things embarrassing because everyone would either stare or laugh at him.

He sighed again. Then he felt it. A spine tingling, hair rising, sensation on his back and he knew that she was there. Behind a pillar, sitting at a table, or hidden within one of the groups of girls littered around the guild, he knew that she was there watching him. He froze. "Gray? Gray," one guy said, drawing out his name. Gray snapped out of his frozen state and put on a tight smile. "I have to go guys. I just remembered that I had something to do." He got up slowly, biding farewell to the men and then scanned the guild hall for some sort of distraction that would just get him away from her.

Then his eyes landed on the guild's Celestial Mage sitting by herself at the bar, absentmindedly stirring her drink (still) with an angry look on her face. He speed walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Lucy," he said, still feeling Juvia's intense gaze burning holes in his back. The normally blonde haired girl looked up and smiled. "Oh, didn't see you there. Hey Gray," she said casually. "What's up with your hair today?" He asked, attempting to strike up a conversation. Her face fell and her lips tugged downwards into a scowl. She lifted a hand up to her hair and rubbed a lock of now blue, red hair between her fingers before dropping her hand. "Natsu thought it was funny to put hair dye into my shampoo. I forgot to replace it yesterday." That was when he noticed that the red/blue head wasn't with the normally loud and obnoxious pink haired man. "Speaking of Natsu, where is he? Weren't you suppose to go on a mission with him today?"

The longer Gray stood there, the more murderous he felt Juiva's gaze got. Lucy's face fell even more, if it was possible and she pouted. "He ditched me for Lisanna. To go _shopping." _Gray blinked at her in surprise. "Shopping?" He echoed dumbly. Lucy nodded and held up her cup to her lips, her eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah I know right," she murmured before taking a sip of her milkshake. She set the cup down with a sigh. "He knew how important this mission is. If I don't get rent money by tomorrow, I'm going to get evicted," she explained glumly. "Then why don't you go on a mission by yourself?" Lucy sighed and looked down at her hands hat were folded neatly on her lap. "Honestly, the jobs that I can handle pays too less. It'll take me forever to get my rent money." An idea suddenly popped into Gray's head.

"Tell you what? I'll go with you. It's still early and if we go together, we can get your rent paid," he said. _And I can get away from Juvia, _he added silently in his head. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree and she jumped up. "Really?" She asked, excitement in her voice. He nodded and she pulled him into a hug, in which he hugged her back but not without a slight shiver when he heard something crack behind him.

"Ok, let's pick out a mission," she said, practically dragging him over to the mission board. They stood there for about a few minutes before he snatched one off the board. "This one looks good. Take out a monster in Akane Village for 200,000 jewels. We could split it and you can pay your rent. And the town's only a few stops away by train," Gray informed her. She grinned and fist pumped the air. "Yosh! Let's go!"

They got the mission approved by a very surprised Mira and Gray casted a look around the guild. His eyes caught Juvia's murderous ones which was directed towards Lucy. He stuffed the mission paper into his back pocket of his pants, which somehow he had not stripped off yet, and grabbed her arm. She shot him a questioning look but didn't say anything as he ran out of the guild with his hand tightly wrapped around her arm.

.

"I can't believe it? Did you see that? He was being so rude," Lisanna huffed crossly, a pout on her lips. Natsu chuckled but didn't bother to reply, too caught up in licking the cotton candy in his hands. It was amazing. The candy looked just like a cloud, puffy and large, but when he puts it into his mouth, it melts away into sugar. Natsu briefly wondered if clouds were made out of sugar before dismissing the thought in favor of licking the pink candy. It was noting like he had ever tasted before, which in itself was saying a lot. Natsu was a man of great appetite, meaning that he would eat anything and everything. He remembered the time when he broke into Lucy's house while she was showering and saw a bottle of pills. Thinking that it was some sort of food that she was keeping from him, he snatched it and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

Lucy freaked when she saw the empty bottle in his hands and the look on his face that just screamed '_ew-what-the-hell-did-I-just-eat'. _Needless to say, she began to panic and for the rest of the evening, he had to try and convince her that he was fine because his body burns things off quickly. Including medication. That was the first time Natsu was actually sorry for what he had done because promptly afterwards, Lucy broke out into tears and told him, and he quotes, "Never pull that crazy, suicidal move ever again! You jerk! You scared me." He had to spend the rest of the night calming her down and reassuring her that he was not suicidal and that he was just plain stupid. Very stupid.

Looking back now, he chuckled at the memory. Lisanna turned to her childhood best friend with a soft smile, knowing that he wasn't listening to her meaningless ramble. He looked dazed, almost, as he walked along side her and he was clutching the candy tightly, as if someone would come and steal it from him. It was adorable. Like a child who got a teddy bear for his birthday and refused to share with his peers. She giggled at the comparison and was cut short when a chuckle erupted from his lips. "What's so funny?" She asked, looking up at him with mild curiosity. "Hm? Oh. Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking." Lisanna let out a dramatic gasp, drawing a few people's gazes to her and she quickly lowered her volume.

"Natsu thinking? This can't be good," she teased lightly, a goofy grin on her face. "Ouch, that hurt," Natsu said, rolling his eyes. "So, what were you thinking about?" Natsu took a large bite out of his cotton candy. "A memory. Once I went to Lucy's place and accidentally swallowed all of her pills. She freaked out and it took me forever to get her calmed down, but afterwards she broke down into tears and called me stupid." Natsu smiled fondly at the memory and Lisanna grinned at his nostalgic expression.

"Oh really? Because people just "accidentally" swallow a whole bottle of pills in front of a really _cute and caring _best friend, who happens to be the opposite gender," she said, making quotations around 'accidentally.' Natsu lightly punched her arm. "It was an accident. You're really weird ya know? Like Lucy but she's weirder." He took one last bite out of his candy and then shoved the stick into her hand, eliciting a 'hey!' from the girl. He placed his hand behind his head and continued to walk. "Lucy...I wonder what she's doing now. She's probably at the guild waiting for us!" Natsu said, a happy grin on his face.

Just then, the bells began to ring and Lisanna looked towards the clock tower. "Hm, wanna head back Natsu? It's already 3 in the afternoon." Natsu fist pumped the air, much like Lucy did in the morning with Gray. "Aye! Let's head back!" Lisanna hummed in response and then giggled as the pink haired mage ran towards the guild. "Lucy, huh?" She mumbled to herself. She let her lips curve into a smile as she yelled, "Wait for me!"

"Natsu!"

.

If you looked closely, you would've seen the look of anger and disappointment in Natsu's eyes. But if you weren't studying his face so closely, you would have been fooled by the pout on his face, only pretending to be slightly disappointed. Lisanna knew better than to trust that facial expression. Being his childhood friend had its perks.

Like, knowing when he was upset. It was a skill she had developed a long time ago. She knew that he could fool others easily by putting on a grin and tilting his head in his 'Natsu' way. She had fell for it too, plenty of times. Till, she learned to search his eyes. His eyes always betrayed what was on his face. If he was sad, his eyes grew a little dim. If he was happy, his eyes sparkles. If he was angry, his eyes would look as if they were flames. Powerful, dangerous, and hot. If he was disappointed, his eyes would seem as if they were frowning. And right now she knew that he was angry and disappointed.

When they had came back, Natsu was enthusiastic He could not wait to see Lucy. Of course. But, when he had gone into the building, Mira had informed him that she left early in the morning with Gray to go on a mission. Gray! Of all people, Gray! Well, she did suppose that they were in the same team but none the less, Gray! Lisanna was _sure _that Gray had a thing for Juvia. Everyone knew that he had a thing for Juvia. Everyone but him and Juvia. It seemed to her that everyone knows about a couple, _before _the couple knows about themselves. Lisanna let out a sigh. Romance, what a tiring thing. But, oh, it was worth it in the end.

Her lips quirked upwards when she saw Natsu sulking at the bar. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Natsu, I'm sorry," she apologized. He heaved a sigh and then looked at her with those sad onyx orbs. "Nah, it's not your fault." Lisanna frowned. "If I didn't ask you to go shopping, Lucy wouldn't be with Gray right now," she trailed off. She noticed that his mood darkened almost instantly when she mentioned the prospect of his favorite blonde and the ice mage together. Alone. On a mission.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, although on the inside, she was secretly grinning.

"But I can't believe it! Her and and that Stripper!" He said, voice shaking in disbelief and anger. "But, she's his friend," Lisanna said, sitting down next to him. Natsu scowled. "That's not it! He's a perv! He _strips _all the time. What if Lucy starts to strip? Then I have to beat up everyone who looks at her!" Natsu explained. Lisanna laughed out loud at his explanation. "Natsu, I'm sure Lucy knows not to strip," she said in between her giggles. Natsu pouted angrily, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Natsu, when is Lushie coming back?" Happy asked, munching on yet another fish. Natsu finally sighed and let his arms fall to his sides. "I don't know Happy. Lisanna do you know when she's coming back?" He asked hopefully. "Hm, Mira-nee did say that she needed the money to pay for her rent tomorrow so I'm sure she'll be back later today or earlier tomorrow!" She finished with a smile.

Natsu's face lit up and he jumped. "Yes! Come on Happy, let's go to her house to wait for her!" Happy let out a cheerful cry and he flew up into the air. "Let's go Natsu!" Natsu turned around and grinned widely at Lisanna. "Thanks Lis! I'll be back tomorrow! Bye!" He ran out of the guild in excitement and Happy flew next to him, equally excited.

"It's done Mira-nee. Phase one is complete," Lisanna said, walking over to her older sister. The bartender gave a wicked grin and licked her lips.

"Good job Lisanna! Natsu and Lucy don't know what's coming."

_**Hey everyone! This is my second update! Feedback? No? :3 Okay.**_

_**~Glitter-Kun**_


	3. Chapter 3

Gray groaned, everything blurry and spinning. He blinked multiple times as his eyes adjusted to the surroundings. When his eyes finally adjusted properly, the first thing he realized was that he was lying down on a bed. A bed? He was certain that he was on a mission with Lucy. Lucy...Lucy. He blinked once. He sat up suddenly as his eyes grew wide. Oh shit! Lucy! His eyes swept over the room. It was a small, white room with a desk, cabinet, and the bed itself. Then he noticed someone at the foot of his bed. And that someone had blue and red hair. Lucy. He bent over slightly and noticed that her head was buried in her arms and her breathing was even. She was sleeping.

He leaned back and rested against the headboard. How'd he even get into this mess?

Then he remembered. Oh yeah.

_"Ice Make: Floor!"_

_Ice shot out of his hand and began to crawl across the ground, engulfing the wet floor and the waters around the temple in an icy blanket. A loud roar echoed through the forest as the ice covered the waterfall, bringing out the serpent, human like monster. Its green hair waved around its head as it hissed in anger, its red and green eyes zeroing in on the shirtless ice mage. It shot forward quickly, like a shadow, and it extended its claw like hand, reaching for him. He dove out of the way, wincing when its claws sliced the air on which he was standing just a few moments ago._

_"Lucy! Run! Leave this to me!" Gray shouted, barely dodging one of its attacks._

_He heard her snort. "This is my rent money! I'm not going to leave you! Are you crazy?!"_

_He huffed. He should have known better then to tell her to ditch him. That just wasn't her._

_"Fine, you distract this thing while I attack," Gray yelled._

_"That's better!" Lucy gripped her whip and held it with both hands, a smirk on her face. With an expert flick of her wrist, she sent the whip flying forward and a satisfying _crack _was heard throughout the forest. A banshee screech escaped the angry monster as it turned around, eyes blazing with anger as it took on its new opponent, forgetting about the ice mage. Lucy jumped back as a jet of water headed for her. "Open! Gate of the water bearer, Aquarius!" Lucy shouted, thrusting the golden key into the water. Crazy, she know._

_"Are you stupid?! Calling me out of that smelly water? Next time you do that, you're dead! Dead!" The angry mermaid shouted at her master. Lucy sweat dropped and nervously took a step back. "H-hai Aquarius." The mermaid let out a 'tch' as she turned to face her opponent. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I can't do anything," she said bluntly. "W-what?" Lucy rolled out of the way of another jet of water. "Water attacks only enhance this type of monster. I can't help. Well in that case, I'll leave for my date with my boyfriend." Just like that, Aquarius shimmered away into the Spirit World. "Ugh!"_

_Lucy yelped as she saw monster sharp claws headed for her. "Ice Make: Cage!" A giant cage made of ice, obviously, dropped on top of the monster, stopping her just inches away from Lucy. "Phew, thanks Gray," Lucy said, giving a sigh of relief. She didn't have time to hear what he said because the monster let out another ear piercing screech and this time, boiling hot water melted the ice. Lucy jumped to the side as the ground she just stood on turned black. Just how hot was that water?_

_She didn't have time to continue thinking about it because it went in for another attack._

_"Ice Make: Arrows!"_

_A volley of arrows headed towards the monster but it moved out of the way at the last second. Lucy's eyes widened as the arrows headed straight for her. Then there was a bright flash and Lucy felt the ground beneath her give away. With a scream, she fell into a hole and the ice arrows flew above like a flock of birds. "Hime," a monotone voice called out. "Virgo!" She said in relief, sitting up. "Hime, please be careful," Virgo said, bowing lowly. Lucy winced and then nodded. "Yes, thank you Virgo." "Punishment time Hime?" Lucy sweat dropped. "No, no punishment Virgo." With a final bow, Virgo returned to the Spirit World. _

_"Lucy? Lucy!" She heard Gray yell. "I'm coming up!" Lucy jumped up and latched her elbows onto the side of the hole. With a grunt, she lifted herself over the ledge. "Behind you! Ice Make: Canon!" Lucy yelped as Gray's ice magic shot over her head and hit the monster right in the chest. It flew backwards and collided with a large tree._

_It laid unmoving for a few minutes, making both of the mages look at each other. "Is it...dead?" Lucy asked tentatively. "I don't know. Wanna go check?" He asked, his eyes never leaving the creature. "OK. Better make sure that its's done with then leave it here and let it cause havoc again," Lucy said. She began to move forward but Gray's arm shot out, stopping her in her place. Her questioning gaze met his. "I'll go. In case it's not actually defeated." Lucy opened her mouth, as if to protest, before closing it and giving him a stiff nod. _

_She had her hand near her keys, in case._

_She watched as Gray bent down and held out a hand. But that was his mistake. _

_The monster sprung up and let out a long, low hiss. Its eyes settled on the swearing Gray who rushed to his feet. Or tried to. The monster's tail swung around and slammed Gray to the ground who hit his head with a painful _thump. _And that was all he remembered before everything blacked out. _

He winced when pain blossomed out of his side. His hand went down to his side which was bandaged with layers of gauze.

He heard a groan coming from the sleeping beauty at the end of his bed and he looked up to see the blue/red head slowly opening her eyes. "Morning," Gray said, once her eyes focused on him. A wide grin broke her face as she launched forward, throwing her arms around him. "I thought you died!" She cried, almost strangling him. He gave a small chuckle and returned the hug. "Seriously, I thought you were really injured," she whispered, tightening her arms around his neck. "Sorry Lucy. That monster caught me by surprise." She took her arms off of his neck and flicked his bandaged head, a scowl on her face.

"That's what you get for staying asleep for nearly two days," she huffed. Gray reared back in shock. "_Two _days? How? I only landed on my head!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, and I _only _almost missed my rent. You landed on your head Gray! Your head! Now lucky you, you have a thick skull so it protected that stupid brain of yours. Honestly sometimes, I think you damaged your brain by hanging out with Natsu for too long."

Gray frowned at Lucy playfully. "Hmph," he said, sticking his tongue out at her. She giggled and stood up. "Want anything?" "Yeah, to go home," Gray said. "You sir are very lucky I have a home to return to," she hissed. Gray swallowed visibly, digging his back into the headboard. "Haha...yeah. I am very lucky," he said, his voice shaking. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered what pain she had to go through to contact Mira, convince her to pay for her, then have Lucy pay her back.

"I'm just glad you're OK," Lucy finally said, heaving. A sudden jolt of guilt shot through him and he swung his legs over the bed. Getting up, he wrapped Lucy in an apology hug. "I'm sorry," he said, his arms wrapped around her. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Lucy said, "Gray, you can let me go now. Or I'll tell Natsu." She had a teasing grin on her face and Gray couldn't help but grin back at her as he let her go.

"That Flame-brain? Why would you tell him, hm?" He then punched his open palm, as if he had an answer. "You love him don't you." Lucy's eyes went wide and she felt all the blood rush up to her face. "N-no!" She denied, her face bright red, like an apple. "Hm really now? I bet he'll get really jealous if he heard about our little moment," he teased. "Him? Jealous? Ha!" Lucy said, still denying it. "Oh come on, you love him."

Lucy frowned. "Well I don't. And even if I did, he probably won't love me either way. Remember he ditched me to go _shopping _with Lisanna."

"Hm, hm. I think someone's getting a bit...green don't cha think?" He asked. Lucy started to stutter and Gray laughed, stopping when his side exploded in pain. "Hmph, Karma dumb ass." Gray playfully punched her arm. "Shut up." Lucy's face broke out into a grin again and then placed her hand on her hip. "Now, since you're awake, let's go. I want to go back to the guild."

"To see Natsu."

"Gray!"

He laughed and then pushed her towards the door. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry. Come on let's go home."

.

"Minna! We're home!" Lucy called out happily, walking through the double doors of the guild. Her sunny smile made everyone in the guild smile back at her. She smiled and waved at Gray before she wandered off to the bar where Mira was waiting for her with a smile. "Welcome back Lucy. How was the mission?"

"Hm! Tiring! You don't know how worried I was for Gray! I couldn't believe that monster knocked him out so easily. All those times he fought with Natsu and Erza smashing their heads together, you'd think that he would get used to head damage. I guess not," she laughed, sitting down on her stool. Mira's eyebrow shot up. Lucy and Gray? Sure their sudden mission together had surprised her but she didn't think that it would have gone this way. Then Mira thought again. This _is _Lucy. Of course she's worried. Gray's her nakama. Hopefully no more than that.

"Is that so?" She asked, in her hand a rag and a cup.

"Yeah. Oh thanks for paying my rent for me! Here's the jewels I owe you," Lucy said, producing a brown bag full of jewels. She put it on the bar counter and Mira took it gratefully. "Thank you Lucy," she said, picking up the bag. Lucy waved it off. "It's not a problem. I should be saying thank you. Who knows where I would be if you didn't pay for my rent?"

_With Natsu, _Mira thought, her mind thinking about all those adorable little kids that could be running around.

"So, how do you feel?" Mira questioned nonchalantly. "Hm? I'm fine actually. Why'd you ask," Lucy questioned, putting her chin in the palm of her hand. Her questioning gaze followed Mira as she moved about behind the bar. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to know how you felt being with Gray all _alone _for the past few days," Mira said with a devious grin on her face. As she predicted, Lucy's face went up into flames.

"Mira! It was just a job!" Lucy whined, shrinking into her stool, if it was possible. "Right, just a job," Mira said skeptically. Lucy made a low whining noise at the back of her throat and she hunched over, her face bright red. "I think there's something you're not telling me," she sang out, standing across from the now back to normal blonde. The blonde refused to make eye contact. She thought of the quick hugs she had exchanged with Gray and the blood has offically all gathered at her cheeks. "Aha! There is something you aren't telling me! Lucy, you know you want to tell me."

Meanwhile, a sulking Natsu and an amused Lisanna sat somewhere together at one of the tables in the guild.

"Man I can't believe this," he grumbled. His head was in his arms but he was turned in a way so that he was facing Lucy. His scowl never left his face as Lucy blushed at something Mira said. "First she runs off with Gray. Alone. And then she stays three extra days with him. Alone. And when she came back, she didn't even bother to say hi to me!" Natsu's scowl turned into a pout. Lisanna patted his back in attempt to calm him down. "Well Natsu. She would have gone on a mission with him if you didn't ditch her," she reminded him.

"That's because you begged me to go shopping with you!" He exclaimed, now turning his head to look at her. She shrugged. "You could have rejected the offer." He groaned out loud. "I did but you convinced me to go with you! You girls are so weird," he huffed. Lisanna shook her head. "All I did was offer food."

"And you know I love food!"

_And Lucy._

"Natsu, even if I offered you food, it is still your fault that she had to go on a mission with Gray," Lisanna said bluntly. "Think about it. If you had tried harder to refuse my proposal and the food, she wouldn't have to have gone with Gray, _alone, _on a mission." She suddenly grinned. "Look at her Natsu. She's blushing awefully hard over there. I wonder what happened on that mission." Natsu shot up, his eyes suddenly ablaze. "I am going to ask her what happened. And then I'll go beat stupid Ice Princess up for taking my partner out on a mission," he declared. Lisanna's eyes lit up and she nodded in approval.

"Go," she said, pushing him towards the red faced blonde at the bar. He flashed her a grin and then ran over to his partner.

"There's nothing for me to tell you!" Lucy said again, not meeting the bartender's eyes. "Oh really now Lucy? Maybe I'll go ask Gray," she said with an innocent smile. "W-what? No!" Lucy said loudly. A bit too loudly. "No what?" Lucy let out a shriek, her eyes wide. "You scared me baka!" She scolded, a frown on her face as she glared at her partner. he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about that Luce."

"Natsu, did you know that Lucy and Gray had a _wonderful _and absolutely _splendid _time together on their mission?" Mira asked with a bright smile on her face. Natsu's face fell. "M-Mira!" Lucy protested weakly, her face now turning back to that bright red color. That was all the confirmation Natsu needed that something indeed had happened on the mission. And he was going to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

_**So hey guys! I'm back...again. Anyways. I just saw the movie Van Helsing! I know I know. That movie came out years ago! Yeah OK. So what? It's still awesome. Minus the fact that Anna dies. The director is such a douche! Van Helsing never had a love interest before! And you kill her off? Not only that but you kill her off by making him kill her? Sorry but you sir, are very, very messed up. Hmph. **_

**_And my dad was admitted into the hospital. He had surgery and yeah...he's better now but he needs to take better care of himself. OK. Enough said. Let's move on!_**

**_~Glitter-Kun_**

**_._**

When Lucy's eyes finally adjusted to the dark room, she noticed two things. One, the smell was awful. Two, she was tied up and gagged on a chair. She scowled and tried to move her hands to find out that not only did her kidnapper bind her wrists, he took special care in binding every single one of her fingers together. Deciding that she wouldn't get anywhere with her hands, she looked down and her eyes widened, practically popping out of their sockets.

She couldn't even see her lap anymore. Not that she would have saw in the dark anyways but her legs were duct taped so much, it reminded her of a mummy. A mummy made of duct tape. Her frown deepened as she took in her pathetic state. Who the hell kidnapped her anyways? After the Phantom Lord incident, she was sure that no one would take anyone from Fairy Tail ever again because hello. Nobody wants the trouble of a loyal guild knocking at your door. Especially when said loyal guild kicked everyone's butt in the Grand Magic Games.

She wiggled around a bit, hoping to possibly loosen the bindings and then somehow free her hands. After several moments of struggling in vain, she finally sat slump in her chair, her head hanging limply.

Damn it! Why was it always her who got kidnapped? Why couldn't she be the savior for once instead of the damsel in distress?

Lucy heard a door creak open and she looked up. The opened door allowed for light to filter in and she saw the figure of a man by the door. Her face automatically set itself in a glare. "Let me out! Let me out!" She screamed, but it came out muffled and sounded like "lehm me aht!" The man chuckled and closed the door behind him, once again engulfing the room in darkness.

"Geez Luce, stop screaming," he chuckled. He flicked on the lights and Lucy's anger faded to shock back to anger. "Mph ze huull? (What the hell?)" She yelled into her gag. The pink haired man simply shrugged and grinned at her. She narrowed her eyes as he stood in front of her. Leaning over, he undid the gag and threw it behind him somewhere.

She gasped for breath. "What the hell Natsu? Why am I in your house? How did I even get here? Why the hell did you kidnap me? Are you betraying our guild Natsu? Are you secretly working for some dark guild? Why don't you clean your house for once? When was the last time you cleaned it? Where did you even get so much duct tape? Why-"

His warm hand covered her mouth so she couldn't fire anymore questions at him. He rolled his eyes at the dramatic and ever so bossy blonde. "No I am not working for some dark guild Luce." He gave her a look that said _do-not-fire-anymore-questions. _She slowly nodded in understanding and he took away his hand. "Now, I took you, not kidnapped you because I needed to ask you questions."

Lucy's anger automatically flared. "You kidnapped me to ask me questions?! Are you insane?" Natsu pouted at his best friend. "That was mean Lucy." She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. Honestly, this guy would be the death of her. First he goes around kidnapping beautiful people, because she considered herself very beautiful, and then he calls her mean. He is crazy. But that's what she lo- I mean, that's what she _liked _about him. His craziness.

Natsu stared at Lucy. She was bound to the chair with no way to escape. He had taken special precautions to make sure that she couldn't escape. Special meaning duct tape. Lots and lots of duct tape.

"Natsu! Stop your staring and ask me the stupid questions!" Lucy shouted, her face twisted into an angry expression. Natsu sighed. "Ever so needy Luce."

"Shut up!"

"Fine, fine. I wanted to ask you what happened on the mission with you and _Gray." _He spat Gray's name like it was venom. That took Lucy by surprise for a split second. She knew that Gray and Natsu were enemies but they were comrades. Nakama. Never in her entire time at Fairy Tail had she heard Natsu refer to a fellow nakama so venomously. It was disturbing. But then she came down from her shock when the question hit her. Was he accusing her of something? Her eyes narrowed.

"I could ask the same about you and Lisanna," she bit back. Natsu pursed his lips. "We went shopping." Lucy let out a snort. "Yeah, me and Gray just went on a mission. What's it to you? If I recall, _you _were the one who left in the morning without a word to me! Not the other way around!" Natsu rolled his eyes. "That's because Lisanna convinced me to go with her. It was just shopping."

Lucy scowled at him. "And it was just a mission! Nothing happened! Unless you're accusing me of something." Natsu let out a low growl from the back of his throat. It made Lucy shiver although it wasn't cold. "Is that so? Then why the hell were you blushing at the guild when Mira asked you about it?"

Now, usually, Lucy had a lot of patience. Especially with Natsu because, you can't be best friends with him and not have patience. But now, she was losing that patience and she didn't give a damn either. Here he comes, accusing of her of doing something with Gray when the two obviously didn't do anything. (Minus the hugs) It's not like he had any say in this either. He was the one who left her in a time of need and she just so happened to find someone else to work with for the day. She wasn't throwing accusations at him when she found out that he left with Lisanna!

"I don't know why you're so concerned Natsu! I wouldn't have gone to that mission if _someone _didn't decide that, oh. Let me just forget about her and run off shopping with Lisanna!" Lucy snapped angrily. Natsu's eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't you use that tone with me Luce. You could have waited till I came back! We're partners! How could you have left me for that Stripper?"

"Exactly. We're partners Natsu! Partners! There is no law in the universe that says I can't work with someone else if I wanted to! Or. unless the case is you can run off with another girl but I can't get something important done with another person?" Lucy was near to losing it.

"But what happened on that mission huh?! And why the hell did you chose him of all people?" His angry voice shook the walls of the house and Lucy was afraid that if he shouted any further, the whole thing would collapse on their heads.

"He offered! I don't see why you're so interested when you have Lisanna," she sneered. "I'm interested because obviously something happened when you two were _alone. _Do I have to mention that you stayed an extra three days with him? Alone?" Lucy inhaled and then exhaled. From the tone he was using, she would have said that he was jealous. But Natsu jealous? Pft. Only when Happy turns into a dog.

"Fine you want to know what happened? We hugged. Okay? We just freaking hugged. But I guess you think I'm some sort of whore who slept with him!"

This took Natsu by surprise. "I didn't say that!"

Lucy felt her blood boil. "You didn't say that? Of course you didn't! You implied it! Here you are throwing accusations and now you're trying to make me feel bad? I don't know Natsu! Maybe you want to be partners with Lisanna instead! You seemed to have had an awful good time with her seeing that you were practically clinging onto her when I came back!"

Natsu walked in closer to Lucy. She was still beautiful. Even when she was angry. Wait. he did _not _just say that.

"You're the one who didn't even bother to greet your best friend when you came back." He hissed lowly. She rolled her eyes at him. He still had the nerve to call himself her best friend?

"Oh gee Natsu. I don't know. Do best friends go around throwing accusations for hanging out with someone else?" She asked in a mocking tone. "Well best friends also don't go out with the other's enemy," Natsu fired back. "Gray is my friend Natsu! Nothing happened on that mission. He got hurt, I stayed with him, and we hugged. Case you and Lisanna. I wonder what happened _there. _Did you kiss her? Or maybe confess your childhood love for her?" She mocked once again.

Natsu's face turned red from anger. But Lucy took that as blushing and she felt her heart skip a beat in disappointment. "You know what Natsu? I think I need a break from you. Go have your fun with Lisanna and leave me alone," she snarled. Natsu's onyx eyes clashed with her brown ones. "Are you leaving me?" He asked, bewildered. She let out a short laugh. "You make it sound like I'm breaking up with you. Yes I'm leaving you. When you learn to trust me again then come back and we'll see."

Natsu started to panic. Break up their partnership? He was not looking for things to turn out this way. He was suppose to ask her the question, she was suppose to answer, and then everything would be back to normal. No alone missions with Gray and everyone's happy. He did not want for their partnership to breakup!

"Y-you can't do that! We're partners Luce!" Natsu protested. "And we won't be partners till you've learned to trust me. Like a partner _should._"

"B-but!"

"Untie me Natsu. I want to go home."

The panic started to rise in his throat. His brain became numb. Let her leave and take their partnership with her? Oh hell no!

She glared at him and he inhaled.

As if acting on instinct, he did the only thing he thought of that would possibly save their partnership.

He leaned in closer and she glared at him harder.

"What do you think you're doing?" She half shouted.

Before she could protest any further, his lips descended onto hers.

**_*Hai minna! This was a bit rushed. I have to rewrite it though..._**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys. I've been...busy these couple of weeks...months...aha sorry...I was out on vacation the whole summer and lemme tell you, they have crappy wifi.**_

_**~Glitter-Kun**_

_**.**_

"Ow, shit Lucy! That hurts!" Natsu cursed, running his tongue over his now bruised lips. He glared at the bounded girl who glared right back at him with fire in her eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She screeched loudly, her anger rolling off her in waves. He flinched at her loud voice, it was hurting his sensitive ears. A lot. Her face was red, from embarrassment or anger, he didn't know. But from the way her eyebrows were furrowed, her eyes blazing, and her plump lips tugged downwards, he would have gone with the latter.

"Do you know what you just did?!" She yelled at the poor boy, who looked right now as lost as a tourist in the city. A very small tourist in a very big city. A big, big city. "Uh, I kissed you?" The statement came out more like a question then a solid statement. It wasn't his fault though! When Lucy got crazy angry, she was scarier than Erza, and everyone knows that Erza is the absolutely _scariest _woman in Fairy Tail. Hell, in all of Magnolia! "You don't even know what kissing means," a livid blonde bellowed. "Wow Luce, if you keep screaming like that, someone will think that you're being tortured," he blurted out randomly.

Natsu did not know that someone's face could get so red. Did all the blood in her body just migrate to her face because _wow. _She was _red. _Lucy took a deep breath. She was so pissed off right now. "You know what Natsu, just get me out of here. And I mean it. Untie me!" Natsu pouted. "But you're still mad at me," he whined, very much like a child who didn't get what he wanted.

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK! YOU KIDNAPPED ME AND THEN YOU KISSED ME! HOW DO I _NOT _GET MAD AT YOU IS THE QUESTION!" Lucy screamed. Natsu swore, she looked like a balloon about to explode. And that was not a good thing. C-a-t-a-s-t-r-o-p-h-i-c. That's what it would be. "I'm not un-taping you till you forgive me," Natsu said stubbornly. "You think you can go around kissing people for forgiveness?!" Lucy asked, somewhat quieter, bewildered. Natsu tilted his head to the side. "Is it working?" He questioned, grinning at her.

Lucy's frown deepened. "NO YOU STUPID PINK HAIRED DRAGON SLAYER!"

Natsu's shoulders drooped, and his head hung low, making Lucy feel just the teenciest bit guilty for yelling at him like that. Well, she wouldn't have yelled at him if he just stop asking stupid questions and untie, un-tape, her! How'd she even get into this stupid mess? Oh right. He decided to get all jealous and freaking _kidnap _her for answers! Stupid, dumb, pyromatic Natsu! Natsu suddenly looks up at her, and she groaned. He was doing it. No, no, no, no, no. He was doing _it. _

"Don't you dare," she warned, feeling her anger break.

She closed her eyes. "Don't do it Natsu," she said again.

She opened her eyes and flinched.

He was giving her the look. Not just any look. The I'm-a-kicked-starving-sad-puppy look. He even had tears in his eyes! His bottom lip jutted out and his eyes were wide and teary. "Lucy," he whimpered. "No, no, no, no, no," Lucy chanted, shaking her head. "Lucy~" Natsu whined, his big black eyes staring at her, making her feel oh-so-terrible. She could _feel _his sad gaze on her and she could also feel her resolve crumbling into dust and ash.

"Lucy," Natsu whimpered again.

Lucy bit her bottom lip and looked away, not wanting to see his face.

That's when she heard sniffles and she stupidly stole a quick glance at him to see tears streaming down his face.

She groaned. "Fine," she sighed, closing her eyes in defeat. Natsu perked up and grinned. "You win. I forgive you," Lucy said internally cursing his cute, cute?! Nope, not cute. Not cute at _all. _

Natsu's grin grew wider and he hugged, well the best that he would anyways, the blonde bombshell with joy.

"Can you untie me now?"

"Sure!" Natsu chirped. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife off the messy counter and walked back to the blonde who looked at the knife in his hand with wide eyes. If you didn't know what was going on, it would have looked like he was going to kill her. "Don't worry Luce! I won't hurt you!"

**A few seconds later...**

"NATSU YOU DUMBASS! YOU CUT MY SHIRT!"

.

Lisanna stared at the pink haired man with a smile playing at her lips. Honestly, she couldn't believe him sometimes. The ideas he came up with were just so _stupid. _"And now she's ignoring me!" He whined sadly, his right cheek on the wooden table, his arms flung out in front of his head. Lisanna rolled her eyes. "Well you _did _kidnap her. And then you accused her of being a whore. And then you kissed her. And the cherry on top? You cut open her favorite shirt. I don't know Natsu, that might not be the best way for her to be talking to you right now."

Natsu simply groaned sadly. "But I didn't mean to cut her shirt," he grumbled. Lisanna simply let out a laugh. To be truthful, when he first told her what happened, she couldn't have been more disappointed in the pink haired man but now that she looked at it, it was actually really funny. Just don't tell him that.

"Lis, stop laughing and tell me what to do. It's already been a week," Natsu whined, staring up at her with child like eyes that she simply couldn't resist. "Natsu this is your problem though," she huffed. Well so much for couldn't resist, she just blew him off. Natsu pouted at his childhood friend. "But Lisanna~ I don't know what to do! She's not talking to me, or even looking at me! And every time I do something she'll end up getting mad! I don't want her to leave me," Natsu said softly, frowning as he looked to the blonde who was laughing with Levy and Erza.

Lisanna, seeing his whipped and pathetic state, sighed and gave in. "Fine, fine. Why don't you buy her something?" She suggested. The male sat up. "That's a great idea!" Then he deflated again. "But I don't know what to get."

Lisanna, expecting this already, said,"You did cut her shirt, get her clothes." Natsu looked up again with excitement. "That's a great idea Lis! Come on," he said, already standing up. "W-what? Me?" She asked, confused, pointing to herself. Natsu grinned. "Duh! You're a girl so you're bound to know what she would like!" Lisanna rolled her eyes. "I'm not the one who got her mad."

"You're coming with me and it's final," Natsu said firmly. Before she could protest, he was already dragging her halfway across the guild.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Awe thanks everyone for reviewing! Kisses :* **_

_**~Glitter-Kun**_

_**.**_

Lisanna groaned and banged her head on the wall, her eyes closed and shoulders slumped. She felt a wave of defeat weighing her down as she stood there with her forehead pressed against the wall in utter frustration. The wall was cool against her head and it eased some of the frustration away, although, when she thought back, the wave of defeat became a tsunami. _Oh, Mira-nee was __**so**__ not going to be happy about this, _she thought with a frown.

"Lis? What's wrong?" A strong voice asked with concern. Lisanna lifted her head and had to smile slightly when she saw her large brother lumbering over with a basket of laundry in his hands and an apron draped over his shirt. The older man looked to the woman with furrowed eyebrows as he carefully set the basket down on the carpeted floor of their living room. One quick glance she saw that the clothes were all folded neatly and stacked perfectly.

"Oh no, it's nothing you have to worry about," she said tiredly, waving her brother's concern away. The man scowled. Obviously there was something wrong! His sisters were never tired. They were young and lively, full of energy that sometimes attracted unwanted attention. Although, he thought, that sometimes seemed like a good thing, for his sisters to be desirable. It was only appropriate after all. His sisters were so beautiful, bright blue eyes and glossy white hair, beautiful smiles that lit up every room. Their parents would be very proud of them. Not only were they beautiful, they were strong and independent, relying on themselves yet also find it in themselves to rely on others as well.

Yes, their parents would be very proud.

"Lis, there's obviously something wrong. After all, you can't fool someone so manly such as myself," he boasted, a proud smile on his face.

Lisanna couldn't help but giggle at that. Manly? Oh yes, very manly in his apron and laundry basket.

"Alright, alright, you got me," she giggled.

SHe pushed herself off the wall with a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's Natsu," she admitted, a pout on her pretty pink lips. Elfman scowled. How dare Natsu make his sister so tired? Then his mind took a sharp turn and instantly, his face turned red. Elfman cleared his throat. Lisanna quickly caught on and her cheeks flamed. "Not like that you baka! I don't even like him like that!" She said, embarrassed.

"Er. Right, sorry," he apologized, the red now reduced to a light pink.

"Anyways, like I was _saying. _Mira-nee and I are trying to get him and Lucy-chan together but it's so hard! You know what he did the other day? He kidnapped her, accused her of having feelings for Gray, which ultimately put their partnership and friendship on the line and not only that but he _cut open _her favorite PJ's!" Lisanna rushed out all in one breath, a hard frown on her face.

Elfman shook his head. "Natsu doesn't know the first thing to being a man! A true man would not do that!" He said definitely.

Lisanna groaned. "And he dragged me to go shopping to buy her clothes to replace the ones he ripped into two with his _butcher knife _and then he goes, kicking down the door to her freaking bathroom while she's in the shower! As if that wasn't enough, he openly ignored her womanly appeals. That's like the worse offense to women everywhere!" Elfman couldn't help but slightly drool at the thought of the blonde being naked. Hey, he was a man after all. He can't help these things!

"He's just stupid."

"I know that but our plan totally gone down the drain!"

Elfman tilted his head to the side. "A plan? What was your plan?"

"Simple really. Phase One: Get Lucy jealous, hence why I dragged Natsu out to go shopping. Phase Two: Get Natsu to spend slightly less time with her to get her even more jealous. Phase Three: Get her to finally realize her feelings for him. And then everything would fall into place," she said, a grin on her face, as if her plan was the best plan on the world. Elfman sweatdropped. "Er...that's great and all but what about Natsu?"

Lisanna's mouth fell into an 'o'. "Shoot! We didn't even think about that!" She exclaimed. Elfman face palmed. For matchmakers, they were doing such a splendid job. "Well we sort of just assumed that Natsu would naturally, you know, love her and stuff. But we didn't think about his destiny and stupidity!

"Since I'm a man, I have something," Elfman suggested.

Lisanna perked up, her ears and eyes open. Even if the plan was stupid, anything that had to do with getting Natsu and Lucy together was worth it! "I'm listening," she said eagerly, eyes practically shining with excitement. Elfman grinned and then leaned in.

.

"Hello beautiful," a deep voice said smoothly. Lucy looked up from her book to see a man she's never seen before at the guild slid onto the stool next to her. A quick one look over told her that he was extremely cute. He had dark, ash blonde hair that was styled into a windswept hair that gave him a ruggish look. He had emerald green eyes that shined with mischief. His jaw was insanely perfect, like he was the god of sculpted jaws and handsome faces. The simple tunic, pants, and boots he had on still made him look like a male model. In other words, he was without a doubt cute.

She smiled at him, feeling slightly bashful. "Hello," she said softly.

"What's a beautiful lady such as yourself doing here all alone?" He asked, the smile never leaving his face. Lucy laughed a bit and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I was just reading, nothing special. Sometimes I just want some time to myself," she said truthfully. An understanding look came across his face. "Of course, being in such a rowdy guild I'm not surprised that you don't get any time to yourself at all," he chuckled. Lucy grinned at the man.

"Say, I've never seen you here before," she pointed out, slowly closing her book. She shifted her body slightly so that she was facing more towards him. "Ah, yeah, I'm passing by but I'm temporarily joining the guild. My name's Rimaenaj, but you can call me Enaj for short," he said. "Are you not from around here in Fiore? I've never heard of the name Rimaenaj," she said curiously. It might have just been her but Enaj laughed nervously. "Ah yeah, I'm from another kingdom actually. I came here looking for writing ideas and I've heard that Fairy Tail went on many adventures before."

Lucy's eyes sparkled. "Writing? Are you a writer?"

Enaj grinned. "Yup. I'm working on publishing my first book soon," he admitted. "I'm a writer too! And I get what you mean by Fairy Tail being a great inspiration. I'm Lucy by the way," she introduced, sticking out her hand. Enaj shook it firmly. Vaguely in her mind, she could have sworn that his hand felt familiar but she brushed it off. "You want a drink? It's on me. Mira makes the best drinks in all of Fiore," she offered.

Without waiting for his reply, she turned back to the bar. "Mira-san! Two of your strawberry shakes with cherry and whipped cream please," she called out. Instead of being greeted with a reply, she was greeted with another Strauss sibling. "Elfman! WHat are you doing here? And why isn't Mira here?" She asked, confused. The large man smiled at her and for some reason, his smile held a nervous edge to it. "Ah Nee-san left on vacation for a week or two because Master said she deserved it," Elfman informed her.

"Oh..alright," she said, blinking slowly.

With a sigh she turned back to Enaj with an apologetic smile. "Ah sorry about that. How about I make it up to you by giving you a tour of Magnolia?" She asked. The man nodded and together they hopped off the stools. Lucy waved goodbye to the guild as she and Enaj made their way to the door.

She missed the winks Elfman and Enaj sent to each other, or the large grin Lisanna was sporting, or the way Natsu was glaring at Enaj with narrowed eyes and clenched teeth.


End file.
